Welcome to George Spencer Academy!

George Spencer has a national reputation for providing high quality education for students of all abilities which has been recognised in Ofsted inspections, culminating in the most recent outstanding inspection where we achieved grade 1s in all categories.

In 2011, because of our excellent track record of achievement and high quality teaching, George Spencer Academy became one of the first Teaching Schools in the country. Subsequent designations as a Centre for Initial Teacher Training and a training provider for Leadership Development, entrust us to provide extensive training and development for teachers and leaders, sharing our best practice and engaging with others in learning and research developments.

In 2012 George Spencer Academy became the lead school and education sponsor of The Spencer Academies Trust. The Chief Executive and Executive Principal of the Trust is Mrs Susan Jowett, a National Leader of Education, who led the school to Academy status and throughout one of the most successful periods in George Spencer's history.

We are a small Trust committed to raising standards. Our mission is: "To improve the life chances of children and young people by challenging and supporting all the schools within the Trust on their journey to and beyond outstanding". It enables all of the schools involved to share resources, ideas and best practice.

A Message from the Principal...

Thank you for your interest in George Spencer Academy. These two quotations say everything there is to say about life here. The governors, staff, pupils, parents and community are all incredibly proud of our school. At George Spencer we want children to achieve the very best of which they are capable; children who work hard; children who behave well; children who are happy, known and valued; and children who get involved with wider school life- whether in sports, the arts, the outdoors, the community or the world of work.

"We are extremely lucky to come to this school. We feel like we've won the golden ticket!"- (student comment, Outstanding Ofsted report May 2015)

"We are part of something special here."- (student comment, Outstanding Ofsted report April 2010)

A big part of this work is, of course, ensuring that high quality learning is experienced every day within the school; by every student, in every subject and in every lesson. However what truly makes us distinctive is the warmth of feeling and sense of belonging that George Spencer engenders in the students, staff, parents and friends of the school.

This warmth extends to the range of local, national and international partners that we work with in our other capacities. George Spencer is far more than a single school: We are the lead school in The Spencer Academies Trust, a medium sized trust of local primary and secondary schools, the academy is a National Teaching School, and the lead school in the George Spencer Teaching School Alliance. We are the Lead School for the East Midlands West Maths Hub. The George Spencer SCITT leads a network of schools offering schools direct and provider-led routes for primary and secondary teacher training. The academy is a licence holder for leadership development programmes including the NPQH qualification for aspiring and working headteachers. The academy is a link and partner school for the Institute of Physics and a lead school in the network of excellence in computer science teaching. We are a Leading Edge school.

Whether you are here as a student, parent, member of the community, school leader, teacher or applicant for one of our training or networking opportunities we wish you a very warm welcome. You can find more about any part of our work here on the website. Happy browsing.

Fraser Mitchell (Principal)

A Message from the Executive Principal...

Thank you for your interest in the George Spencer Academy and a warm welcome from everyone connected with the school, Governors, teachers, parents, students and the wider community. I am very proud and privileged to be the Executive Principal of this 'Leading Edge' school with a national reputation for excellence in the education of young people and the training and accreditation of teachers.

George Spencer is the place to be as a centre of research and innovation in effective learning. We enjoy learning together - not only in what we learn but also through new methodologies of learning, so that others can benefit from our experiences. We are proud of our academic track record and achievements across a broad spectrum of activities - personal and social, sporting, artistic, musical and cultural.

George Spencer offers a first class service for its students. Our students come first. We recognise their different needs and work hard with them to develop talents and potential in a spirit of mutual respect. We value the unique contribution of each student to our learning community. Highly qualified teachers and support staff provide an excellent, caring environment in which students can learn and flourish safely. Our aspirations, expectations and commitment are exceptionally high for all members of the school community.

Susan JowettExecutive Principal

Every Child Matters...

We pride ourselves on knowing each student as an individual. In addition to having a dedicated Learning Manager with responsibility for academic progress, personal development and well-being, each student enjoys at least two, one-to-one, hourly discussions every year.

Children's safety is our number one priority. OFSTED note that we 'exceed' safeguarding requirements. We have two designated Child Protection officers. We cover extensive work on anti-bullying, student health and economic well-being in the curriculum.

We have a wide range of opportunities for students to be heard. Not only are there a range of Student Councils, but online message forums allow students to air their views. We also expect students to get involved in school life through our student leader programmes. We expect parents to be actively involved in school life and all parents can join our FrOGS and also give us feedback through our Parents' forum and Parents' blog.